The present invention relates generally to packages for athletic gloves, and more particularly to reusable packages for golf gloves.
Athletic gloves such as golf gloves are worn by athletes to improve the athlete""s grip on, e.g., a golf club. Ordinarily, athletic gloves are made of leather or a leather-like material. The material, when first purchased, is supple, and indeed the effectiveness of the glove in providing a good grip is thought to be directly dependent on its suppleness. Such gloves are typically sold in flaccid paper-and-plastic packages that ordinarily are discarded immediately after they are opened.
Unfortunately, athletic gloves can quickly lose their suppleness, in large part because the leather material usually is not treated with appropriate care. For example, after even moderate use, perspiration can soak the glove, and many times the athlete will remove the glove when wet and toss it, in a balled configuration, into a storage area, e.g., of a golf bag. The glove then dries in the balled-up configuration. When it is desired to reuse the glove, the glove is unfolded and stretched over the athlete""s hand, with repeated cycles of such use rather quickly destroying the suppleness of the glove and, hence, its effectiveness. The present invention has recognized the above-noted problem, and understands that a solution can be provided whereby an athlete is provided with a convenient and effective way to properly store an athletic glove when the glove is not in use.
A package for an athletic glove includes a non-flaccid plastic body that has a first body element joined to a second body element along a living hinge. Together, the body elements define an interior and an exterior of the body. In accordance with the present invention, the body elements are movable between an open configuration, wherein the interior is exposed, and a closed configuration, wherein the interior is enclosed by the body elements. With this structure, the body is configured for holding at least one athletic glove in a relaxed, preferably substantially unfolded configuration between the body elements. Desirably, at least the first body element is formed with plural vents to establish air communication between the interior and exterior of the body to facilitate drying of the glove.
In a preferred embodiment, a tab projects outwardly from at least one of the body elements. The tab defines an eye for facilitating hanging the package on a support. Also, at least one finger hold projects outwardly from at least one of the body elements to facilitate moving the body elements between the open and closed configurations. More preferably, a first finger hold is made integrally with the first body element and a second finger hold is made integrally with the second body element.
As intended by the preferred embodiment, the body elements have approximately equal sizes. Also, the body elements are made of translucent plastic. The second body element preferably is integrally formed with a relatively thinner window area bounded by a relatively thicker body area.
In another aspect, a device includes at least one athletic glove made of leather, and a package that defines an interior holding the glove in a relaxed configuration. The package is formed with plural holes for ventilating the glove.
In still another aspect, a method for maintaining an athletic glove includes selling the glove in a package made of non-flaccid plastic. The package can be moved between an open configuration and a closed configuration. Accordingly, the package is moved to the open configuration such that the glove can be removed and used. After using the glove, the glove is placed back in the package and the package moved to the closed configuration to enclose the glove. While the package is in the closed configuration with the glove enclosed in the package, the glove dries in a relaxed configuration.
The details of the present invention, both as to its structure and operation, can best be understood in reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts, and in which: